Firms and enterprises always look for ways to cut down on cost and achieve further savings. Providing a video surveillance solution that helps lower total cost of ownership and increase return on investment therefore is key to success in the large enterprise sector.
That was the point raised by
Arecont Vision during a recent webinar.
According to Arecont Vision, large enterprises need video surveillance for various security purposes, including deterring internal and external theft and protecting staff, visitors, records and equipment. Areas to be covered include walkways, lobbies, customer service windows/desks, open areas, entrances outdoor, entrances indoor and parking lots.
Besides that, enterprises can also use video surveillance for non-security purposes including improving staff productivity and resolving staff and visitor disputes. For both purposes, megapixel cameras providing enough details on customers, staff ID and vehicle/license plate ID are preferred due to their accuracy.
However, organizations regardless of industry generally strive to reduce costs in every facet of internal operations. According to Arecont Vision, security has always been a visible target for cost reduction because it is not viewed as revenue producing, and there is difficulty in demonstrating ROI.
Providing megapixel solutions that help lower TCO and increase ROI therefore is key. According to Jeff Whitney, VP of Marketing at Arecont Vision, this is where multi-sensor cameras can come in handy. “Multi-sensor cameras reduce cabling requirements, complexity, and cost, while slashing software licensing fees 4 to 1,” Whitney said, adding multi-sensor cameras win out with their ability to cover more with less. “Continuous coverage of entire scene also provides superior coverage to PTZs. Instead of manpower to control PTZs, panoramic cameras can cover it all of the time.”
The company provided a case study on Safaricom, a major communications company in Kenya. The challenges experienced by Safaricom include potential theft in store, the need to monitor staff and sites remotely, and the flexibility to view all angles of the store without being on site. Johan Crause, Regional Manager at Arecont Vision, mentions that with the company’s solution, Safaricom was able to achieve lower TCO through the use of fewer cameras, licenses and accessories; the use of existing infrastructure; lower maintenance and operational costs; and more effective investigation with the same or less manpower. “The build quality and design and longevity have given Safaricom significant return on investment,” Crause said.
Data security matters
Data security is also important to large enterprise. The topic has gained importance especially after the DDoS attacks in late 2016, when networked devices such as IP cameras and NVRs were used to attack an Internet management company. The result was shutdowns on major websites including Amazon.com.
While investing in surveillance with advanced data security may be more expensive in the beginning, the savings it will help the company achieve down the road will be more than had the company suffered a data breach, which may end up costing the company more. According to Whitney, Arecont Vision has the technology in this regard, too. All cameras are equipped with the company’s own Massively Parallel Image Processing (MPIP) architecture, with which the cameras cannot be repurposed for use in cyberattacks on the network or other devices.
“That’s because we don’t provide those backdoors into the camera that unfortunately happens to Linux or other common operating system-based cameras,” Whitney said. “And even if someone manages to get into one of our cameras, all they would be able to mess with is that one particular camera. They wouldn’t be able to view the other devices, or apply a virus or inset a worm to attack other devices.”